Graduate Council

ARTICLE I

The name of this organization shall be: "The Graduate Council of the University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus".

ARTICLE II ‑ FUNCTION

The graduate faculty shall be the academic policy-making body within the University on all matters relating to graduate studies. The Graduate Council, as the instrument of the graduate faculty, shall exercise the general legislative and academic authority of the graduate faculty; establish policies and standards governing development and changes in graduate curricula, including new courses and degree programs; make recommendations on all proposals for new graduate programs, substantially modified graduate programs, and deletions of graduate programs; monitor graduate course offerings; determine the eligibility of students for admission, financial aid, and graduation; and advise the Dean of the Graduate College on other Graduate College matters. The Graduate Council also shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of a system for the equitable resolution of differences and issues which may arise between and among graduate students and members of the graduate faculty. The graduate faculty reserves the right to review, endorse, change or rescind any action of the Graduate Council as provided by Article VII of this Charter.

ARTICLE III ‑ MEMBERSHIP

1. The Graduate Council shall be composed of three groups of members:
   1. Ex Officio Members
      1. The Dean of the Norman Campus Graduate College, who shall be Chairperson of the Council.  The Chairperson of the Council may vote only in the event of a tie vote by the Council.
      2. The Dean of the Tulsa Graduate College, the Assistant and Associate Deans of the Norman Campus Graduate College, the Assistant and Associate Deans of the Tulsa Graduate College, who shall serve without vote. In the absence of the Dean, the Dean of the Tulsa Graduate College or an Associate or Assistant Graduate Dean will be the Acting Chairperson of the Council as designated by the Dean.
      3. The Secretary of the Graduate Council, who shall be selected by the Graduate Dean and serve without vote.  The secretary shall have the responsibility to:
         1)         Schedule meetings of the Graduate Council.
         2)         Prepare and circulate agendas of meetings.
         3)         Prepare and circulate minutes of the meetings of the graduate faculty and Graduate Council.
         4)         Keep a record of all actions taken.
         5)         Perform other duties that may be necessary to accomplish faculty and Council business.
   2. Members elected from the University graduate faculty according to the following criteria:
      1. Each college offering one or more graduate programs shall be entitled to a minimum of at least one elected member. In a college with more than one representative, that college should develop election procedures to ensure broad representation of the areas within that college.
      2. The maximum number of elected members from any college shall be one for each whole ten percent (10%) of the total University full‑time equivalent graduate student population enrolled in the college.  Graduate student enrollment percentages will be rounded to the nearest multiple of ten percent.
      3. Official graduate student full time equivalents in the various colleges shall be determined from the records of the Graduate Colleges for the fall semester of the academic year in which the elections are held.
      4. No faculty member shall be eligible for election to membership on the Graduate Council unless he/she is a Regular Member of the graduate faculty.
      5. Each elected member shall serve for a three-year term, and, when possible, elections will be staggered to ensure approximately one-third new members each year. The term shall commence on September 1.
      6. No faculty member can serve more than six consecutive years.
      7. Vacancies caused by resignation, leave, illness, etc. shall be filled by election in the college with the vacancy. The member will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
   3. Graduate Student Members
      1. Four graduate students shall be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College from at least eight nominations made by the Graduate Student Senate. Student members will serve with voting privileges for one‑year terms and no two may be from the same college. Students may serve for more than one term.
      2. Any Council member who misses three or more Council meetings in a year (September through the following June) will be subject to dismissal from the Graduate Council. The Dean of the Graduate College will investigate the reasons for the absences and decide whether or not to declare the seat vacant.

ARTICLE IV ‑ ELECTION OF MEMBERS

1. Elections shall be held in April or May of each year within each college for which there is an actual or impending vacancy in Graduate Council representation. Vacancies shall be filled only by election, regardless of cause. (That is, vacancies caused by resignation, leave, illness, etc., as well as those due to expiring terms, shall be filled by election).
2. When an election is necessary in a given college, the Dean of the Graduate College will notify the dean of the college.
3. The dean of the college will then arrange for an election to be conducted.  Only members of the University graduate faculty shall be eligible to vote.

ARTICLE V ‑ MEETING

1. Meetings shall be held monthly during the academic year. Special meetings may be called at any time by the Dean of the Graduate College.
2. A quorum shall consist of more than half of the voting members of the Council.
3. Items of Council business and agenda shall be emailed to all members of the Council so as to be available in advance of a meeting
4. Business of an emergency nature can be brought before Council at any meeting if a majority of the members present vote to consider the issue.
5. Items of business shall be passed if a majority of members present vote favorably.
6. The Chairperson of the Graduate Council shall appoint a faculty member to serve as parliamentarian.
7. All meetings shall follow Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VI ‑ COMMITTEES

1. There shall be the following standing committees of the Graduate Council:
   1. Interdisciplinary Degree Programs
   2. Graduate Faculty Membership
   3. Course and Program Changes
   4. Travel and Research
2. Each standing committee shall have at least four members and generally be chaired, by one of the deans in the Graduate College. A slate of membership for each committee shall be prepared by the Dean of the Graduate College and presented to the Graduate Council for approval at the first Council meeting in the fall semester. The term of duty is one calendar year.
3. Agenda items for these standing committees normally shall be directed to them by the Graduate Council Secretary or by the Dean of the Graduate College.  These committees shall report and make recommendations to the Graduate Council.
4. Ad hoc Committees, whose membership may be drawn from the graduate faculty at large, shall be authorized and selected by the Dean of the Graduate College.

ARTICLE VII ‑ COUNCIL ACTION

The dean of each college, chair/director of each department/school, and all Regular Members of the graduate faculty shall be sent copies of the Council's agenda before meetings and copies of the Council's minutes afterward.

Each department is urged to distribute a copy of the minutes so they will be available to graduate students.  Members of the graduate faculty and deans of each college (or their designated representatives) shall have the right to be present at meetings of the Council and may, with the permission of the Council's Chairperson or a majority of the Council, participate in a non‑voting capacity in discussion of business before the Council.

Course Changes and Petitions will be considered approved by the graduate faculty seven calendar days (7) after the minutes are delivered if no written protest is received in the Graduate College office. When a written protest is made by one or more Regular Members of the graduate faculty, the course change or petition will be returned to Council for reconsideration. If the Council confirms its initial action, the matter will be considered final.

All other actions of the Graduate Council will have a twenty-one (21) calendar days protest period after the notification of such actions has been circulated among the graduate faculty. If during the 21-day period a valid written protest to Council action is made, the matter will be returned to the Council for reconsideration. To be valid, the protest must be signed by 40 Regular Members of the graduate faculty or 80 currently enrolled graduate students. If the Council confirms its initial action, a meeting of the graduate faculty shall be called for its consideration of the contested action. Following the meeting, the graduate faculty will be polled by mail or email ballot.